Andrew Wheeler and I headed up into the Southern Highlands to try out a small stream (not declared trout water) that was bound to be stocked to the brim with Sydney Water Board trout from the downstream Warragamba Dam. After the high amount of rain we had the week before, Andrew and I were a lillte hesitant about finding fishable water. The creek was very clear though, and was flowing a little bit harder than when Ken and I were last here. The first pool had a small fish in it which I managed to spook, then I found 2 fish right up against the edge, holding position in a shallow riffle. The fish were almost on the bank, and I didn't think it was worth casting at, but Andrew was keen, so I let him at them. He made one cast which was a bit short, but the second one was right on the money, and one of the fish moved slightly to eat the orange bead glo-bug. Andrew lifted the rod and found that the leader was stuck under a rock, but this luckily came free and the fight was on. It wasn't a big fish - around 1.5lb - but it was a satisfying capture considering how difficult the cast was.
I knew there was going to be better stuff up further, so we moved up past a few small fish in the next few runs and pools and arrived at the long pool where Ken and I had cleaned up last time. I thought the heavy rain over the last weeks (main river was up to 1.61m!) would have pushed the fish right up the creek, so I wasn't too fussed when we found about 25 fish stacked on top of each other, just like last time. It wasn't long before Andrew had a couple of nice fish on the glo-bug, using the same technique as before. The main thing was to get a good sink rate out of the unweighted flies - it helped when we moulded a bit of Loon Soft Weight around the leader just above the fly. This made it sink a bit quicker, and once it was about a foot above the bottom, the fish seemed more interested in it. Most of the time, if it was allowed to rest on the bottom in the centre of the school, it would be picked up by one of the fish. We landed about a dozen fish before I insisted on going upstream in the hope of finding some better fish (or fishing).
Well, we walked up about 2-3km above that pool, and while I would bet my balls that the water level had risen up above the long dry stretch (it was gently flowing), we didn’t see a bloody thing until we got up about 3km, where a lone trout (small) was found cruising along in a pool (we spooked it of course). It just didn't make sense - there was easily enough water for the fish to get up the creek, yet there was nothing at all in there. They definitely weren't hiding either, as the shallow water was crystal clear and we moved slowly, scanning the water for flickering fins or dark shapes against the bank or in the runs. Nothing! Great looking water though.
The only thing we can think of is that it is too late in the season, and the majority of fish have done their business. If we had the rain in May or June, then it would have been all on - and there are some big fish that I have seen taken out of this creek - 4 or 5lb. Maybe next year. We went back down to the stacked up fish and caught another 18 or so - same method as before. We were after one of the bigger fish (~3lb) that cruised around but wasn't interested in the glo-bugs drifted down on their own. It was interesting to note that we caught some fish 2 or 3 times within a couple of hours - goes to show what starving fish will do when presented with their idea of 'caviar' (literally!).
Andrew Susani